Yugioh - Years After
by Runaway Artist
Summary: This takes place some time after the events of Yu-Gi-Oh!, with new adventures, and possibly new faces, as well as old. The world around the group changes, and nothing will ever stay the blissfully same it once been. OCxCanon.
1. Goodbye, Hello

"Awwww, do ya have ta go?" Jounouchi whined.

"Yeah, you could stay with one of us." Honda said, trying to give his friends some hope.

"Sorry, but I can't." Yugi said, smiling sadly. "My dad got a promotion, I have to go to America."

"But America is so far away!" Jounouchi shouted, then being hushed by Honda to keep his voice down.

Yugi blinked away the tears that brimmed his eyes, and he could tell everyone else was doing the same.

All his friend were here to see him off. Jounouchi, Honda, Anzu, Bakura, Ryuji, Kawa, and Joou.

"Yugi." Anzu said, taking a step forward now, and smiling the best she could. "We'll be right here when you come back!"

There was a moment of silence, as Yugi looked down. Finally, the tears were too much, and they slid down his face, slowly looking back up at the faces of his friends.

"E...Everyone.." he choked, trying to smile.

"Ah, Yug, don' cry! If ya cry, I'll start cryin' too!" Jounouchi said, taking the smaller male in his arms as tears finally ran down his face too.

As if that was a cue, the rest hugged the male in a huge hug, smiling and crying.

"We'll be right here, waiting!"

"Don't forget about us!"

"Call every day!"

Yugi looked back at his friends, as his parents guided him to the airplane that would take him more than a million miles away from his friends.

"Goodbye, everyone..."

-2 years later-

**BEEP BEEP BE-**

Joou slammed her hand on the alarm, and slowly sat up in her bed. It was the first day of her final year of high school. It didn't process in her mind for a few moments, until she finally understood that.

She gradually got out of bed, her hair now up to the middle of her thighs. Her body also changed, now a lot curvier and having a bit of a bigger chest.

The female got dressed in the empty apartment room, used to the complete silence. Maybe too used to it. Joou grabbed a piece of bread and toasted it, and put peanut butter on it before leaving and locking the door behind her, ready for the school day.

Like any normal school day, she walked into her classroom, and took her seat. The same one she had been using for years. Joou stared at the empty desk a few desks in front of hers, which was where Yugi would normally sit.

She sighed heavily, and looked out the window.

"Joou!" she heard a voice exclaim, and she snapped back into attention.

Anzu hurried over, her hair now reaching her shoulders instead of being above them. She smiled at the other female, as she slammed her hands on the desk. "Kawai and I are going shopping after school, would you wanna go?" she asked happily.

Joou smiled, and said, "I'd love to, but you know today is one of the days I work at Kame Game. That shop needs all the help it can get to stay running."

"Oh, right.." Anzu's voice faded, as she looked around the room, till her eyes fell upon Honda, who was chatting with Jounouchi in another corner of the room. Her face became lightly blushed, as she turned back to the green eyed female and said, "Maybe some other time then." and hurried over.

Joou watched, smiling widely, until slowly it faded away as her mind consumed itself.

The teacher then walked in, and all students took their seats.

"Alright class, before we begin, I'd like to introduce you all to a new student." the teacher said, adjusting his glasses as he spoke.

The door to the classroom opened, and Joou sighed. _"I wonder who the poor fellow is."_ she thought to herself.

Her eyes widened when she saw a clear view of the new student, who stood in front of the class, smiling widely.

He was tall, with very strange hair, and muscular. He stood with a wide smile, straight up and tall.

"Hey! My name is Yugi Muto." he introduced himself.

"Yugi?!" came a chorus of voices from the corner, where Anzu, Jounouchi and Honda sat.

Joou couldn't speak. Instead, she slammed her hands on her desk and stood up rather loudly.

_"Yugi?"_ she thought to herself, just staring at the male who left a little more than two years ago, no longer that small, timid boy.

_"When did he move back to Domino City?"_


	2. Small Boy Big Boy

"Ahhh... Ms. Shin, is there a problem?" the teacher asked, confused by her sudden act.

For the longest time, the two just stared at each other, until finally the female slowly shook her head, and sat down.

"Well, if there will be no more interruptions, Mr. Muto, you can take that empty desk over there." he said, pointing to his old one.

Obediently, Yugi agreed, and walked over and sat down. He glanced back at Joou for a moment, then faced the front. For the remainder of class, Joou couldn't look away. She couldn't focus at all.

Finally, they were dismissed for lunch break.

Yugi sighed, and was about to stand up, when someone hurried past him, and left the room. He blinked, and looked back at Joou's seat, only to find it empty.

"Yug!" he heard his familiar nickname called from the class, only to them be attacked by Jounouchi.

"Hey buddy! Where ya been!? When did ya get here?! We missed ya!" he exclaimed, not letting go.

"Jounouchi! Let go of him!" Honda said, laughing and patting Yugi on the head.

"Wow, you've grown a lot little buddy!" Jounouchi exclaimed.

All Yugi could do was smile and laugh, as his friends argued with Jounouchi about giving him space to breathe.

"G-guys!" Yugi said, which got the groups attention.

"I missed you too!" he said, laughing still. They all smiled, and eventually all hugged him at once, making them all fall on the floor, which made them laugh more.

"Come on, we better go on the roof." Honda said, standing up and helping the others up. When he helped Anzu up, they both blushed and kept their hands entwined for a while, before Jounouchi said, "What, are you two gonna have a moment?" causing the two to blush more and let go, turning away. He laughed, while Yugi looked at them confused.

"C'mon buddy!" Jounouchi said, putting his arm around Yugi's shoulders and walking out of the class room.

"Hey, wait up!" Honda called, the two hurrying after.

Joou stood attop the roof, looking over the edge of the building and gripping the railing tightly.

"This is a dream, right?" She thought to herself, not sure what to believe.

"His grandfather would have let me know if Yugi was coming. He would have! So, why didn't he tell me? Or, did Yugi not let anyone know? If so, then why not?"

She sighed heavily, and shook her head.

"Yugi, you make no sense!" she exclaimed out loud.

The door to the roof then moved, and Joou panicked, not knowing what to do. She didn't want to be seen up here, or see Yugi. What would she say to him? Her head started to race, and so did her heart.

The door opened, and walked out was Yugi, with Jounouchi having his arm around his shoulder. the two were smiling widely, until Yugi saw Joou.

The world spun around, and turned dark. "Joou!" was the last thing she heard, before passing out, th world falling silent and becoming dark.

Slowly, Joou eyes opened up.

_"Where am I?"_ she thought to herself, and slowly sat up. It took a moment for her to collect her thoughts, and realize she was in the infirmary.

It took another moment for her to remember why she was, and sighed heavily.

_"Great.. That was a lame move.."_ she thought, and held her head.

The curtains around the bed pulled back, and the nurse smiled.

"You're up. How do you feel, darlin'?" she asked the teenager.

"Just fine.. Uh, how did I get here?"

"Oh, Mr. Muto came in, carrying you in his arms. He seemed quite worried about you. Said you got hit when you were playing basketball."

Joou sighed in relief, glad that Yugi made up a lie to make her passing out seem less lame than it was. Suddenly, her face went red, as she realized that Yugi had carried her down to the infirmary, which was quite a ways.

"He must be quite strong then..." she thought, causing her face to turn pink more.

"Darlin', your face looks red, you 'right?" the nurse asked, noticing.

"Ah! Y-yes!" she said, even more embarrassed now.

The nurse laughed, and nodded. "Well, 'right then. Make sure you drink plenty of water then. Now, ya better hurry on down to class."

"Oh, yes." Joou said, standing up from the bed. She turned to the nurse, bowed, and said, "Thank you."

The older lady just waved her hand, and said, "Just get a move on now, darlin', don't keep your friend a-waitin'."

Hurriedly, Joou did as told, and left the infirmary. She sighed, embarrassed to go back in and see her friends after what just happened. She wasn't one to faint or get embarrassed normally.

Her face blushed again, and she slowed her pace, thoughts of Yugi now flooding her mind.

_"He's changed a lot.."_ Joou thought, spacing out. _"He's no longer that small, timid boy.. He now is much bigger, and seems more confident.. What happened to him over in America?"_

"ACK!" Joou called out, running into someone.

"Hey, you alright there Joou?" Came a male voice. She backed up, and noticed it was Bakura, who smiled slightly at her, worry in his eyes. Unlike the others, Bakura hadn't changed much, except now his hair was cut a bit shorter.

"Ah yes! Fine! Never better!" she exclaimed, followed by laughing loudly.

"Really? You seemed pretty zoned out." he said, sighing a bit.

Joou stopped laughing, and her smile faded.

"Yugi's back."

"What? Really?!" he exclaimed happily.

"That's wonderful news! I can't wait to see him again!"

"Ahh.. Yeah.. I godda go back to class.." she mumbled.

"What's the matter? I thought you of all people would be delighted to see him again. In fact, I thought you'd be jumping off the walls by now." Bakura said, clearly confused.

"..Yeah..." she said, and sighed. "It's a bit more complicated than that."

"I see. Well then, I'll see you later, and tell Yugi I said hi when you see him, if I don't see him first." he said, and patted the girls head lightly, trying to lift up her spirits. He then walked off, and Joou watched.

After a moment, she continued on her way to class.

_"Wait.."_ she thought. _"What was Bakura doing out of class?"_

_"What ever, he's a big boy, he can take care of himself." _She rolled her eyes, and didn't think any more of it.


	3. Shocking

The bells rang, signalling the end of the school day.

Hurriedly, Joou picked up her things, and left the classroom, almost dropping them as she did.

"W-wait!" she heard a voice call from in the room, but she didn't stop, and she was eventually another body in the sea of students.

Yugi sighed heavily, and rested his head on his hand, tapping his fingers on the desk with his other hand.

"Hey Yug." he heard a voice say, and turned his head to face his friends, smiling instantly.

"Are ya stayin' wif your gramps again?" Jounouchi asked, all of them smiling widely.

"Yup." he simply answered. There was no need for long answers.

Jounouchi bounced a bit, and slammed his hands down on Yugi's desk, causing him to jump a bit. "Lets all celebrate your return at your gramps! How 'bout it?!" he said excitedly.

"Ah, well, I still need to unpack and settle in." he said, rubbing the back of his head. "But, would tomorrow be alright?"

Jounouchi's excitement lessened slightly, but still seemed pumped. "Awright, sounds like a plan!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah, the whole gang can come! It'll be like old times!" Anzu said, smiling widely as well, seeming pumped.

They all said their goodbyes, and his friends left, leaving Yugi alone in the classroom.

He looked out the window, his face blank, but his mind busy.

"My friends have changed a lot..." he thought to himself, realizing just how much had changed in the two years he had been gone. Then again, he hasn't seen everyone yet.

Slowly, he got up from his chair, and picked his things up, and left the room, wanting to just go home now.

"Sorry I'm late!" Joou called, once entering the game shop. At the counter was Yugi's grandfather, who looked more aged than he did two years ago, but insisted he was 'still young'.

"That's alright, Joou. Just go ahead and get changed, and you can take over." He said, smiling widely at the teenage girl. She nodded, and hurried up the stairs, knowing exactly her way around the home above the shop. Instantly, she found the bathroom, and shut the door behind her.

In a matter of minutes, she stepped out, wearing dark coloured jeans, and a white, baggy top, that was over her shoulder on one, and stopped just before her waist. Like always, she wore a black belt on her jeans, with a small pouch attached, keeping her cards inside of it, in case anyone wanted to take a go with the Queen of Games, still holding that title since she was younger.

Quickly, she hopped down the stairs, and set her things behind the counter. She grabbed a hairband from her bag, and tied her hair up in a sloppy ponytail, some hair strands out of the hairband.

Without another word, Yugi's grandfather went upstairs, leaving the store in Joou's care like every time she'd come to work.

Joou walked over to a box, it being a new shipment of cards for Duel Monsters, which was still a booming hit and increasing, picked it up and went over to where the other packs of cards where, putting them into place.

The door to the shop opened up, the bell above it chiming to let her know of a customer walking in, her back to the door.

"Welcome to Kame Game." she said happily from where she stood. "Need any help?"

Without warning, however, arms wrapped around her waist tightly, and her face reddened. She turned to see who it was.

Staring at her was a smiling face, one she was too used to. "Hey there." Yugi said, laughing slightly, and she could see a light shade of pink on his face.

"Y-Y-Yugi!" she exclaimed, and the cards she was holding fell out of her hands and onto the floor.

"Ahh!" she exclaimed in shock. Yugi let go, and Joou crouched down to pick them up. Upon standing back up, she hit her head on the rack hard, causing more cards to fall and to her yip in pain.

"Are you alright? Here, I'll help." Yugi said, concerned now, and crouched down to pick cards up off the floor.

"I'm f-fine!" Joou stuttered, holding her head. "No, I got it!" she said, once again crouching and picking up cards.

The two picked up cards in silence, until they were all picked up and the two stood up.

"Here." Yugi said, handing her the handful he had gotten. Hesitating slightly, she took them, and started putting them back on the rack.

There was more silence between the two, which made Yugi tilt his head in confusion.

"Yugi!" came a voice, and the teenaged male turned around and smiled brightly. "Grandpa!" he exclaimed happily.

He rushed over, and hugged his grandfather the best he could due to their height difference now.

"My, have you grown Yugi! You are almost as tall and handsome as your father now!" he said, laughing.

"Yeah! I guess so! I hit a growth spurt over in America." he said, laughing a bit and smiling.

Joou couldn't help but smile at hearing the two.

"Joou?" The female jumped a bit at hearing her name, and turned to the two males, realizing it was Yugi's grandfather who said her name.

"Yes?"

"Yugi still has some things to unpack, why don't you go help him for a bit?"

Joou blinked her eyes, her smile fading and said, "Are you sure?"

He nodded. "He needs the help, and I can watch the store on my own a little longer. Besides, today is a rather slow day."

"Alright." she said, placing the last of the card packs on the rack and walked over to them. The old man patted Joou's arm, laughing slightly as he made his way over to the counter.

Yugi smiled at her, and hurried up the stairs, as were Joou took her time going up. She walked into the very familiar room, that was lightly covered in dust after not being touched much for two years by Yugi's old man.

Cardboard boxes where thrown about in the room, some empty, and some not. On top of his bed, which was already nicely made, was an open box, and he was pulling something from it.

He turned to look over his shoulder and smiled at her widely, and said, "There isn't much left, just some odds and ends, and things I got from America."

Joou walked over, tilting her head and becoming curious. "From America? Like what?"

"Well, I got some cards they have over there. Duel Monsters is huge there, too! They have some cards that we don't have, and visa versa."

"Wow! I want to see them!" Joou exclaimed happily, smiling widely.

"Of course! After you help." Yugi said, nodding.

Joou walked over to a box on the ground, and opened it up. It was carrying various items, like an alarm clock, a few books, and a few pictures inside frames. She grabbed one, which was a picture of Yugi, and a female next to him, both smiling widely.

"Ah, Yugi?" she asked, standing up from her crouched position. He looked up from the box he was rummaging through. "Who's this?" she handed him the frame. He looked down at it, and for a few moments he was silent, becoming slightly uncomfortable.

He placed the frame on the nightstand next to his bed. "My girlfriend in America. Her name is Lily." he finally answered, smiling a bit more as he looked at the picture.

Joou felt her heart stop, and felt like she couldn't breathe.

_"G...Girlfriend..?"_


End file.
